Time Travel Trading Update #10

Hal McRae glared at the pitcher as he positioned himself in the batter's box. This felt good, he thought. He felt 45 years younger, and the speed at which he barreled bat on ball was as good as it was when he was in his prime. 

Ken Brett checked his catcher's signals, and prepared his windup. Back in the day, McRae was a tough out. Chances are he still is. Maybe a few extra decades of experience will give me an advantage he thought. He threw a sharp fastball towards the plate, but the ball never reached the catcher's mitt. It didn't reach home plate at all! It just disappeared into thin air! Ken and Hal looked at each other as the rest of the world around them disappeared as well...

*****

The time portal in Cincinati had been dormant for weeks. The lone guard was taken aback when it started up all by itself. From out of the smoke and flickering lights, a figure emerged. Pete Rose looked around and then checked his phone. "Dang it, still banned!" he mumbled, then turned and walked back into the portal, disappearing just as quickly as he appeared.

*****
 
In Atlanta, the Braves organization were trying to escalate their rebuild. Already successful in sending a single player back in time, the next attempt was more ambitious. What if a whole team could be swapped? The 1990's Dynasty perhaps? Maybe a young Hank Aaron could show these launch angle hitters a thing or two? The possibilities were endless, and everyone was excited when the day finally came. So excited, in fact, that no one noticed that the dial was set to 1892 New York...

*****

George Steinbrenner smiled as he looked over the reports. Sending Jeter back in time had been a huge success! History now showed the Yankees had won 34 World Series, and Jeter just kept going back again and again to win more. So what if an absurd amount of people were coming back through with him each time? There's been no consequences to speak of, no horrible anomalies that he'd have to deal with. 

At least not yet...

*****

As far as mistakes go, bringing Davy Crockett to the present time was about as big of a mistake that could be imagined. Fortunately, time portal security was able to subdue him quickly, and the technicians were able to turn around and send him back. It looked liked no major disruptions to history were detected, so it appears they dodged a bullet. Now if they could just do something about that annoying bird chirping in the rafters...

*****

BOOM!

Since my last update, I completed 5 more trades!  As a result, there are a whopping 25 new cards, and the 1954 Bowman is no longer the oldest card in the trade stack!


Trade #1

I sent the two 1971 Topps cards I had to a prominent member of the TCDB. In exchange, I got these great cards from 1960! How can you not love those Rookie Stars!


Trade #2

Technically, this isn't a trade. DM from the blog Now and Zen offered up these 1986 Topps Pete Rose special subset cards for nothing. His version of as he put it, one of the perils of time travel - a black hole loop!


Trade #3

TCDB member SDre31 took the last remaining 2018 Topps card from my original pack, along with a few others, and sent me these goodies in return:


That card of the 1892 New York Giants is amazing, and fits in well with the Time Travel "story-line".

Trade #4

Brace yourselves, readers. This next one is a game changer! TCDB member gwhy11 has participated in my Time Travels before. He was the generous trader who sent me the 1956 Alamo card, along with a few 1960 vintage. He came back again, taking a Derek Jeter card and bestowing upon me this beauty:


Going just on the agreed upon 1-for-1 trade, getting that 1952 Bowman is an amazing acquisition! Just like the Post Cereal card he sent before, I wouldn't be sad if this one stays in my collection! But he didn't stop there! I also received these beautiful vintage baseball cards:


It amuses me that I got a 1969 Topps card, since it the set this year's Heritage is based on. I even got a Deckle Edge insert!

To quote every great infomercial, "But wait, there's more!" The generous gwhy11 also included some other vintage sports cards, and another cool non-sport:



Anyone collect vintage football?

Trade #5

If you thought I meant that 1952 Bowman when I said I had a new contestant for oldest card in the stack, well, you would have been right for all of 3 days. The Davy Crockett card was sent off to another TCDB member. What he offered was a card from 1938!


I'll be honest, I'd be surprised to get anything older than this one! Still, if there is one thing this collecting community has shown me, it's that surprises happen regularly! This trade stack has officially grown to epic proportions with 53 cards! There's something for everyone! Make me an offer on any of these cards, just as long as I'm getting something older in return. Comment a trade request below, or through the Trading Card Database (Member Name: Kep75).

The Time Travel Trade Stack:

2013 Topps Update
#US84 Stephen Drew

1995 Comic Images Phil Rizzuto's Baseball
#24 New York Giants

1992 Topps
#560 Rickey Henderson

1990-91 Hoops (basketball)
#168 Glen Rice (RC)

1990 Topps
#18 Carlos Quintana

1986 Topps
#2 Rose Special '63-'66
#3 Rose Special '67-'70
#4 Rose Special '71-'74
#5 Rose Special '75-'78
#6 Rose Special '79-'82
#7 Rose Special '83-'85
 #401 Fernando Valenzuela (Turn Back The Clock)

1981-82 Topps (basketball)
#14 Moses Malone

1981 Topps
#63 Steve Renko
#704 Bill Travers

1980 Topps
#671 A's Future Stars

1979 Topps
#130 Bob Watson
#455 Bill Lee

1978 Topps
#24 Don Money
#193 Rich Chiles
#347 Terry Forster
#445 Mike Ivie
#471 Roy Smalley
#581 Lynn McGlothen

1977 Topps
#294 George Medich
#524 Rowland Office

1973-74 O-Pee-Chee (hockey)
#53 Richard Lemieux

1973 Topps
#18 Leroy Stanton
#36 Steve Barber
#98 Dick Woodson
#99 Carl Taylor
#102 Rudy May

1972 Topps
#374 Jack Heidemann

1970 Topps
#103 Frank Reberger

1969 Topps
#453 Mike Cueller

1969 Topps - Deckle Edge
#13 Mel Stottlemyre

1969 Topps (football)
#154 Sam Baker

1967 Philadelphia (football)
#109 New York Giants (TC)

1966 Topps
#444b Checklist 430-506 (CL)

1965 Philadelphia (football)
#193 John Paluck

1964 Philadelphia (football)
#172 Ken Gray (RC)

1964 Topps
#305 Jack Lamabe

1963 Topps
#111 Al Jackson
#155 Bill Stafford

1962 Post Cereal
#58 Frank Malzone

1962 Topps
#278 Ken Johnson

1960 Topps
#95 Frank Thomas
#138 Art Mahaffey (RC, RS)

1959 Topps (football)
#80 Joe Perry

1956 Topps Flags of the World (non-sport)
#70 Jordan

1954 Bowman
#16 Jim Wilson

1952 Bowman
#57 Clyde Vollmer

1938 Church & Dwight Useful Birds Of America Tenth Series (J9-6) (non-sport)
#2 Black-throated Green Warbler

One Year, 200 Posts, And The World's Lamest Contest

I don't usually post on weekends, but today is special. In addition to being my 200th post, today marks the one year mark for my blog!

Personally, I'm impressed. I didn't know one year ago how much I'd enjoy writing this, and how much fun I'd have interacting with so many people who share this wonderful hobby. I didn't know exactly how much I had to offer, and if anyone would really want to read it. From Day 1 it's been a blast, and I've gotten nothing but support from all of you, so thank you!

Prior to this, I'd been a blog lurker for awhile - often reading, rarely commenting, just enjoying the daily musings of people who still enjoyed a hobby I loved since childhood.

A series of blog posts, The 30 Day Challenge, pushed me here. I loved reading everyone's responses, and it made me consider my own answers. I started up Diamond Jesters so I could take part in the discussion. Thirty days went relatively quickly, and I had to think of other stuff to write about. The 30 Day Challenge begat the Bracket Challenge. My desire to post at least weekly led to a series of quick little haiku. From this blog I started trading with others, and the idea for Time Travel Trading was born. I'll be the first to admit my posts aren't always the most interesting, but I've enjoyed writing, and that's really what it's about, right?

*****

I thought it would be fun to go back through the 30 Day Challenge topics and see if my answers would change one year later. I only found four that would be different if I did this challenge today.

Day 1: A Card From The Current Year With A Photo You Like

2017 Topps #8a Jose Berrios	Replaced  with	2018 Topps #297 Kevin Kiermaier

Obviously the current year would require a different choice from last year. There has been a lot of great photography, but this Kiermaier card stands out. He is almost perfectly mimicking the Air Jordan pose, and it looks like he's throwing out the Texas Longhorns gesture to boot. It's just an awesome shot.

Day 5: A Certified Autograph Card Of One Of Your Favorite Players

2012 Topps Gypsy Queen - Autographs #GQA-DP Dustin Pedroia	Replaced  with	2017 Topps Archives Luis Tiant

One of the things I tried to do during the challenge was keep my picks to cards I actually owned. That proved to be quite difficult in some respects. I didn't have a certified autographed card of a favorite player, so I just found one I liked online. Since then, I have been gifted this amazing certified auto of El Tiante from Tyler of Rekindling The Cardboard Flame. He would have been the easy pick here.

Day 24: A Favorite Oddball Card From The 1960s

1962 Auravision Records Ernie Banks	Replaced  with	1962 Post Cereal #58 Frank Malzone

Again, I didn't own any 1960s oddball cards. I searched through the Trading Card Database looking at the different oddball sets, and found this beauty. This record/card ended up being the winner of my Bracket Challenge, but wouldn't have even made the list if I did this today. I recently picked up this Post Cereal card as part of my Time Travel Trading adventures.

Day 28: A Favorite Relic/Manufactured Relic Card

2006 Bowman Sterling #BS-LE Lee Evans (MEM)	Replaced  with	2012 Topps Gypsy Queen - Relics #GQR-KY Kevin Youkilis (MEM)

I don't collect football cards, but my only relic at the time was this Lee Evens swatch. Paul at Scribbled Ink recently gave be a bunch of relics, and I would have to go with Youk over Evans a second time through.

*****

OK, Since I hit the anniversary mark, I'm actually going to try and run a contest here. Nothing spectacular, mind you, as my collection is more disorganized than I am. One of the fun little things I do on my blog is a weekly haiku based on some random card I get in a repack from the Dollar Store. I recently purchased another Presstine repack to continue the series. 3 lucky contestants will win a one-of-a-kind, never-before-published haiku! (insert cricket noises here).

Here's what I'm thinking: I've created 3 lists of all the cards in the repack. List #1 is the list of names. List #2 is the set each card comes from. List #3 contains the team and position of the player on the card. The first winner can pick one of the lists, and one of the options from that list. Winner # 2 gets choice of the remaining 2 lists, and the final winner can pick a choice from the last remaining list. That way, you still get surprised by which piece of crap junk wax amazing work of art you'll receive! The haiku I create will be an original, and it's up to you if you want to share it or keep it locked away in the unlikely event it becomes valuable. I'll try to protect this masterpiece by padding it with some other cards, hopefully something tailored to your wants and needs if by some miracle you need more junk wax. To enter, simply leave a comment below. I'll arbitrarily decide to end the entry window at some future date, and use some random form of randomizing to determine the lucky winners.

*****

Thanks to everyone who has stopped by and visited my blog!  I'm counting on Year 2 to just as fun!

Repack Haiku #48 (Russ Nixon)

Coached "Big Red Machine"

Once traded twice to same team

In single season

1984 Topps #351 Russ Nixon (Mgr)

From his Wikipedia page:

"In addition, Nixon was actually traded twice to the Red Sox in 1960. Cleveland initially dealt him to Boston on March 16 for catcher Sammy White and first baseman Jim Marshall. White chose to retire and the trade was cancelled but not before Nixon played five exhibition games for the Red Sox. Nixon returned to the Indians and started the regular season with them, appearing in 25 games, 21 as the starting catcher; then, almost three months after the original swap, on June 13, he was traded to the Red Sox a second time, with outfielder Carroll Hardy for pitcher Ted Bowsfield and outfielder Marty Keough."

Pirate Autograph Assistance Needed!

I was going through the collection of signatures that I acquired last month on my trip to Spring Training. I've been able to notate every signature except for one, and I thought I'd throw it out into the blogosphere to see if any of you can help me identify the autograph.

All I can tell you is it is from someone on the Pirates:

Who are you?!?!?

I would think the uniform number would be the key, but I can't tell if I'm looking at a 7 or 9 or even a squished 3. I think that big letter in front is supposed to be a C with perhaps an L following it. Anyone have any clue? I looked at the roster, but I just can't figure it out!

I will say I'm pretty convinced it is NOT Colin Moran. I have his signature elsewhere on this same ball, and I was able to match up with a Google search of his autographs.

Can anyone help me out? Any Pirate collectors that recognize this from one of their cards perhaps?

Payday Pack - Make Your Daddy Proud

Last year, I bought a box of repacked packs, with the intent of having some Payday Pack posts in reserve in case I need something quick and easy to throw online or just to break up the monotony of what's currently out there. This is one of those days. I have a bunch of posts lined up for the next few weeks, and needed something simple. Today, I present you with a healthy dose of  2016 Topps Update!

3rd Place

2016 Topps #US199 Brandon Moss

Brandon Moss did something to make the man on the Jumbo Screen happy. Why would they show this man? Perhaps Brandon's dad was at the game? This mystery man gets more card space than Brandon, and inquiring minds want to know!

2nd Place

2016 Topps #US111 Josh Reddick

What's the 912 tattoo for? Is it an area code? Bible verse? The combination to his high school gym locker? This is a bigger mystery than the man on the Jumbo Screen!

1st Place

2016 Topps #US131 Tyler Flowers

Tyler Flowers did a thing, and now he's being swallowed up in an endless array of hands. This reminds me of that creepy scene from the movie Labyrinth where the "Helping Hands" keep groping the young heroine:

Others Not Appearing On Stage:
#US67 Blake Snell (RC)
#US20 Junichi Tazawa
#US189 Jonathan Lucroy
#US140 Eduardo Nunez
#US195 Carlos Beltran
#US264 Cody Anderson (Rainbow Foil)
#MLB-9 Robinson Cano (ASG)

Repack Haiku #47 (Jordan Danks)

Played with brother John

Once hit go-ahead homer

To give bro the win

2012 Bowman Chrome #25 Jordan Danks (RC)

Yep, it really happened on August 25, 2013

Bring Back The Deans!

Last week's haiku featured a 1987 Topps card of the Seattle Mariners. It reminded me of the Team Leaders cards in general, and how Topps in 1986 "honored" each team's dean - the longest tenured member of the club. I always thought it was a cool concept, and I wouldn't mind if Topps brought that back.

1986 Topps #456 Braves Leaders (Dale Murphy)

I looked up and found which players would be honored if Topps did bring this idea back. Three teams traded their dean this past off-season: The Marlins (Stanton), Pirates (McCutchen), and Rays (Longoria). Who replaces them as the team's official dean?

Longest Tenured Players

 

2018 Topps #231 Joe Mauer

Twins: Joe Mauer (4/5/2004)

Cardinals: Yadier Molina (6/3/2004)

Mets: David Wright (7/21/2004)

Mariners: Felix Hernandez (8/4/2005)

2018 Topps #58 Ryan Zimmerman

Nationals: Ryan Zimmerman (9/1/2005)

Red Sox: Dustin Pedroia (8/22/2006)

Royals: Alex Gordon (4/2/2007)

Brewers: Ryan Braun (5/25/2007)

Reds: Homer Bailey (6/8/2007)

Orioles: Adam Jones (3/31/2008)
Tigers: Miguel Cabrera (3/31/2008)

2018 Topps #350 Clayton Kershaw

Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw (5/25/2008)

Yankees: Bret Gardiner (6/30/2008)

Rangers: Elvis Andrus (4/6/2009)

Indians: Michael Brantley & Carlos Carrasco (9/1/2009)

Giants: Madison Bumgarner (9/8/2009)

Braves: Freddie Freeman (9/1/2010)

Pirates: Josh Harrison (5/31/2011)

Rockies: Charlie Blackmon (6/7/2011)

Angels: Mike Trout (7/8/2011)

Astros: Jose Altuve (7/20/2011)

Diamondbacks: Paul Goldschmidt (8/1/2011)

2018 Topps #232 Nate Jones

White Sox: Nate Jones (4/8/2012)

Blue Jays: Aaron Loop (6/14/2012)

Rays: Chris Archer (6/20/2012)

Cubs: Anthony Rizzo (6/26/2012)

Padres: Robbie Erlin (4/30/2013)

Marlins: Derrick Dietrich (5/8/2013)

Phillies: Cesar Hernandez (5/29/2013)

Athletics: Marcus Semien (4/6/2015)

It's an interesting list. A few notable star players, but a healthy dose of unexpected guys. What do you think? Should Topps bring back the deans?

Hockey Cards from Cardboard History - Pack #3

Continuing along with the bounty I received from Billy at Cardboard History, here's the 3rd pack I opened up:

This pack has a ton of goalie goodness! 29 cards, and over half of them featured goalies from the Between The Pipes sets! Here's a few cards that stood out to me:

2017-18 Upper Deck Artifacts #90 Ryan Johansen

We'll start out with some UD Artifacts that I got. These are some very sharp looking cards - very crisp design, although the team logo is a bit hard to see within the foil.

2016-17 Upper Deck #87 Dwight King

A King playing for the Kings! I have to admit, though, my eyes keep heading towards the pretty Jersey girl behind the glass...

2012-13 In The Game Between The Pipes #63 Nikita Serbryakov

For a Canadian Hockey League team, that is one very USA-centric logo. I'm slightly confused by its mere presence.

2013-14 In The Game Between The Pipes #142 Ron Grahame

Wow, that is one impressive head of hair. I'd be smiling too!

As always, thanks again Billy! It's been fun going through cards I'm not familiar with, but definitely appreciate!

Repack Haiku #46 (Mariners Leaders)

Matt Young hangs his head

About to be taken out

Still led team in saves

1987 Topps #156 Mariners Leaders

Time Traveler Update #9

Joey Votto looked at himself in the mirror. He looked exactly the same as he did before, and yet, he knew his body was 2 years younger. It was the ultimate low-risk/high-reward procedure - by going back in time just a couple years, he could extend the life of his playing career without anyone noticing. Yet, he wondered exactly how far back he could realistically travel. Would five years be too much of a stretch?

"Only one way to find out!" Bill Frehan exclaimed, as if he was reading his mind. "I came back out of there many more years than you did, and I'm doing fine. It's not like you have any grey hairs to dye!" Votto took the words from his old friend into consideration. 

"OK, let's do it!"

*****

The latest trade came courtesy of Chris, who writes the blog The Collector. (He's been doing a fun series of posts based on a tour of sports team cities - you should go check it out!) Chris has made a few mentions of wanting to make a trade, and he finally pulled the trigger with my last update. The 2016 Topps Chrome Joey Votto and 1977 Topps Bill Freehan were in my possession for less than a week before I shipped them off to Chris. In exchange, he sent me some great cards from 1963:


But that's not all! Chris included some bonus cards as well:


I'm honestly amazed that I never thought of getting a Turn Back The Clock card as part of this experiment. They're the perfect time travel cards! Good thinking Chris!

I'm tempted to make a family-tree style graph once the Time Travel Trading series has wrapped up. From the initial trade of a 2018 Topps Ryan Braun, I essentially got these 6 cards, plus 10 others! Not too shabby, if I do say so myself!

The Time Travel Trade Stack:

2018 Topps
#135 Atlanta Braves (TC)
#LTM-CC Carlos Correa (Legend In The Making insert)

2013 Topps Update
#US84 Stephen Drew

1990-91 Hoops (basketball)
#168 Glen Rice (RC)

1990 Topps
#18 Carlos Quintana

1986 Topps
#401 Fernando Valenzuela (Turn Back The Clock)

1985 Topps
#66 Dick Williams (MGR)

1981-82 Topps (basketball)
#14 Moses Malone

1981 Topps
#63 Steve Renko
#704 Bill Travers

1979 Topps
#130 Bob Watson
#455 Bill Lee

1978 Topps
#24 Don Money
#193 Rich Chiles
#347 Terry Forster
#445 Mike Ivie
#471 Roy Smalley
#581 Lynn McGlothen

1977 Topps
#294 George Medich
#524 Rowland Office

1973 Topps
#18 Leroy Stanton
#36 Steve Barber
#98 Dick Woodson
#99 Carl Taylor
#102 Rudy May

1972 Topps
#374 Jack Heidemann

1971 Topps
#89 Ken Brett
#177 Hal McRae

1964 Topps
#305 Jack Lamabe

1963 Topps
#111 Al Jackson
#155 Bill Stafford

1962 Post Cereal
#58 Frank Malzone

1956 Topps Davy Crockett Orange Back
#54 The Alamo's Answer

1954 Bowman
#16 Jim Wilson

I've got one trade pending, otherwise this list is up to date. See something you like? Working on a vintage set perhaps? Make me an offer - all I require is an older card, even if it's just one year prior! Comment below or contact me on the Trading Card Database (TCDB name: Kep75). I need your help to keep this going!